The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune

Nothing has changed over the past 30 years. There is a constant and continual flow of economic migrants from Haiti, which remains still in an economic mess, even after massive aid after the earthquake, now years ago.

As the nearest land mass to Haiti, to where the migrants track to, although one appreciates their ultimate is the US, it has to be said that we, that is successive Governments, have never seriously focused on this issue and as a result, we, especially residents of New Providence, are faced with a massive undocumented group of people, mostly from Haiti. Worsening the reality,is that we now have a high number of mixed ethnic children - youths and adults of mixed Bahamian-Haitian background, whose status is in neutral.

May I ask in this recent incident, was the vessel a Haitian sloop, or a white hulled 36-38 feet sailing boat? I ask as the original report was that it was a Haitian sloop. Cleverly the traffickers have switched to using ordinary sail boats…at least two incidents interestingly in Abaco, which begs the question – is the trafficker based in Abaco?

Drones-radar, if it is ever installed will not stop the migrants. Haiti as the crow flies is 160 miles from Inagua…Inagua to the horizon on any reasonable day is 8-10 miles. Save those millions probably going to be spent on drones, and purchase long range night vision military binoculars, which will, of course presuming the RBDF will be alert and give Inagua base good notice of a sloop, or other craft coming from Haiti and that vessel must be interdicted. If now aerial observation cannot find these sloops, which have no engines, relying on God’s wind, then surely it is obvious drone - radar is redundant will not improve interdiction. Stay simple, Commodore, you might have success.

The coastal radar installation? When is this going to be installed and operational? You announced you started this about a year ago!

My suspicion that there is a lot of big greedy, inhumane pockets pushing for leaving the status quo as is, as they are profiteering in this so dehumanized trafficking of Humans.

The Ingraham Government had a deal, did nothing - Christie waffled, spent $240 million on boats and the flow continues. Even Haitian sloops sailing almost into RBDF bases or downtown Nassau, certainly right under the eyes of the RBDF Observation position at South Beach.

Taking into account, as past writers have commented, the RBDF are not very good on maintenance. Stop the purchase of 55, yes FIFTY-FIVE drones and concentrate on the simple approach, acquiring long range night vision binoculars.

T.K. SMITH

Nassau,

February 9, 2019.